


But First We'll Live

by blooming_atlas



Category: Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2
Genre: 50 Sentences, Arthur and Tilly were made for each other, Drama & Romance, F/M, Female Character of Color, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, TB doesn't exist in this fic, Why isn't this pairing popular
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 11:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17243453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blooming_atlas/pseuds/blooming_atlas
Summary: |I am yours. I am yours as the stars belong to the sky and I am yours as the rivers belong to the sea. I am yours.( Fifty sentences centered around Arthur Morgan and Tilly Jackson )





	1. i

1.  ** _Sweet-Talk_  **\- “You look good in yellow, Miss Tilly.” She lifted her head from her sewing and managed a sweet smile. “Are you trying to sweet talk me with that cowboy charm, Mr. Morgan?”

 

…

 

2.  _ **Laughter**_  - Arthur leaned his forehead against hers and chuckled, and with a start Tilly realized it was the first time since Blackwater she had ever heard him laugh, even that small sound. God knew that there hadn’t been a lot in his life that he could laugh about. “We’re gonna’ be okay…,” he murmured, fingers intertwining with hers. “We’re gonna’ be okay.”

 

…

 

3.  ** _Kiss_  **\- Arthur’s mouth settled on hers with the slow, sure pressure of experience, cutting off her quick gasp of surprise, while his hand cupped her chin, lifting her face up. Tilly had been kissed before, but not like this, not with a lazily sweet intimacy that made her toes curl and her heartbeat quicken. The strong movement of his mouth opened her lips, and helplessly she felt her body quicken as a warm tide surged through her. “Hold me,” she pleads. “Please.”

 

…

 

4.  ** _Kiss II_  **\- He does.

 

…

 

5.  ** _Silence_  **\- Hugging her arms against the cold, Tilly went outside to stand beside Arthur. Huge white flakes were swirling noiselessly downward. The mountain was as silent as a graveyard. In the short time it had taken for the gang to make camp here in this old mining town, the storm had gotten worst and still the snow drifted down in a ghostly dance. Arthur put his arm around her and she let her head rest on his chest. No words. Just silence.

 

…

 

6. _**Infuriating**_ \- “Are you crazy?” he yelled, his face flushing with anger. “You could have been killed!” Tilly gave him a scornful look. “I suppose you think I didn’t know what I was doing when I shot at the bastards chasing us.” “Did you?” he shot back. She lifted her eyebrows at him. “Evidently,” she drawled. “I’m still here.”

 

…

 

7.  _ **Pain**_  - Tilly’s hands flew to her mouth as she stared at Arthur, lying on his left side, his upper torso bare. A large white bandage was located at his waist. Tears swam in her eyes, blurring her vision. “Arthur?” she whispered, her voice begging. _Let him be all right,_ she prayed silently. Please let him be all right.  _Goddamn O’Driscolls._

 

…

 

8.  ** _Nightmares_  **\- There were days when Arthur Morgan’s nightmares were filled with darkness and a coyote staring at him from afar. And then there were the nightmares where Tilly never made it out of Blackwater alive. Blood soaking her lower abdomen, turning her skirts black and soggy. The blood pooling around and under her, soaking through the cracks in the floor. Her eyes open and her face unnaturally still. Those nightmares were the worst.

 

…

 

9. _ **Betrayal**  _\- “Dutch left you to die?” she asked slowly. Arthur’s dark, frosty eyes met hers, waiting. “He left you.” He nodded. He seemed very remote to her, his mind gone back twenty years in time. Tilly bit down on her lower lip, not saying anything. Arthur was looking at the horizon again. “When the time comes,” he said deliberately, “I want you to leave. Leave…and don’t look back.”

 

…

 

10.  _ **Peace**_ \- The train heist had left Arthur exhausted, and he wanted to crawl into his tent and rest. Instead he stretched out on the ground beside Tilly and pillowed his head on her lap, nestling down on the softness of her thighs. The pressure of his head made her lower body tighten in reaction to his nearness. Tilly held her breath, almost overcome by the sensation flooding her. Tentatively she touched his damp blonde hair, then smoothed it away from his forehead. He sighed as if in relief. Once she had touched him there seemed to be no reason why she shouldn’t continue, so she began tracing the lines of his face with her fingertips.  _Peace at last._

 

...

 

11.  _ **Dark**_  - Arthur kissed her, leaning over her with her head cradled on his arm. “I’ll keep you safe from the dark, sweetheart’,” he said in that deep, slow, soft tone that made her chest warm. “Just follow my lead.”

 

…

 

12.  ** _Teasing_**  - Arthur snickered. “You sure you don’t want me to help you get dressed, Tilly?” “Arthur!” she wailed, her face so hot she thought it would catch fire. A slow smile curved his mouth and wrinkled his eyes at her reaction to his teasing.

 

…

 

13.  _ **Warmth**_  - Arthur turned and hauled Tilly into his arms, opening his coat and wrapping her inside the warmth with him. “Is this alright?” he asked softly, his raspy voice low. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. “Yes,” she said softly, the words muffled against his chest. He brushed his mouth over her hair and closed his eyes.

 

…

 

14.  ** _Cause & Effect_** - Tilly’s hands were gently wandering over his back, leaving a trail of glowing heat behind. Arthur’s face warmed, and with faint disbelief he wondered if her effect on him would ever lessen or if her touch would always induce an immediate reaction.

 

…

 

15.  ** _Promise_**  - Arthur tilted her head back, his bright blue eyes sternly searching the brown liquid depths of hers. “Promise me you won’t ever endanger yourself like that ever again,” he growled. Tilly huffed and pushed his hand away. “I promise…”

 

…

 

16.  ** _Morning_**  - When the sun rose Arthur rolled out of the blankets and Tilly lifted her heavy eyelids, desperately needing a few more hours of sleep for, after all, she had been awake most of the night. “Is it morning already?” she asked, hoping that it wasn’t. Without his warmth beside her, the cold crept through the blanket and made her shiver.

 

…

 

17.  ** _Coffee_** \- It was only a few hours before Arthur returned from another successful robbery, stamping mud from his boots and brushing leaves off his hat and coat. Tilly handed him a cup of the coffee left over from yesterday’s breakfast, strong and bitter, but he drank it without even a grimace and flashed her a thankful smile.

 

…

 

18. ** _Dance_**  - “Dance with me, Miss Tilly,” Arthur said softly, standing up and holding out his hand to her. Tilly stood and went silently into his arms. She closed her eyes, and her head found her personal resting place on his shoulder. There couldn’t be anything more perfect, she thought, than dancing with Arthur Morgan.

 

…

 

19.  ** _Argument_**  - Tilly’s eyes flashed as she placed the tip of one finger squarely in the middle of Arthur’s chest and applied pressure. “Back. Off.” Under the brim of his hat, his brilliant blue eyes were narrow and angry. His head cocked a little, an arrogant, combative tilt of his chin, then he put his right forefinger in the middle of her chest, on her breastbone, duplicating her movement. “Make. Me.”

 

…

 

20.  ** _Hair_**  - Carefully Tilly gathered her hair and twisted it into an elaborate braid, picking the hairpins from his hand one at a time to secure the heavy mass of hair. Arthur was silent, watching her slender, small hands perform their chore, her fingers lifting each hairpin in turn from his rough palm with all the delicacy of a small bird collecting seeds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? I understand that this pairing isn't everyone's cup of tea but Arthur and Tilly's in-game interactions are pure gold and my fingers just slipped. Tilly Jackson is a gift and Arthur Morgan deserves some sweetness in his life. If ya'll wanna' talk about this pairing you can find me here on Tumblr: mountain-maxama


	2. ii

21. **Sick** \- “Feeling a bit better, Arthur?” Tilly asked, placing the back of her hand against his face. “Some.” The deep ache in his body had eased as well as his headache. He felt tired and limp and a little drowsy, but warmer--and better. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  
…

  
22\. **Early** \- Tilly’s eyes opened drowsily, then her lashes fluttered back down. _Big brown doe eyes,_ Arthur thought, having seen them sparkle in good light. He gently shook her awake again. “Wake up, Tilly. Dutch is moving us East.”

  
…

  
23\. **Eyes** \- Tilly’s brown eyes were the saddest eyes he’d ever seen. Those eyes made him want to put himself between her and the world, and kill anyone who caused her one more iota of pain.

  
…

  
24\. **Rage** \- Struggling to pull her wrist out of Micah’s strong grip, Tilly cut her eyes to the left and saw Arthur holding his favored pistol flush against Micah’s temple. There was no quiver in his hand, no uncertainty in his eyes; instead they were narrowed in cold rage. “You have to the count of one to let her go. One—” He didn’t wait even that long for Micah to release her. Arthur’s left hand snaked out, caught Micah’s hand, and twisted it down and away from her. There was an odd sound like a brittle branch snapping and Micah was howling, clutching his broken hand.

  
…

  
25\. **Patience** \- It had been a long time since he’d had a woman, but he intended to have Miss Tilly. He’d be patient, give her time to adjust, but he had no doubt of the outcome. She was his.

  
…

  
26. **Doubts** \- Tilly knew she was being ridiculous. She’d never seen anyone less likely to be a romantic than Arthur. He was so hung up on his feelings for Mary and solitary that she couldn’t imagine him moving on, which in turn told her how foolish she was to be attracted to him in the first place. But chemistry was what it was, and it seemed she could no more stop thinking about him than she could flap her arms and fly.

  
…

  
27\. **Skin** \- There were a good six inches between them, but abruptly Tilly felt blasted by Arthur’s body heat, carrying with it the warm, clean smell of his skin. He hadn’t shaved; at least two or three days’ growth of beard stubbled his jaw. She wanted to reach up and stroke his face, feel the bristles against her palm.

  
…

  
28\. **Again** \- Tilly felt Arthur move as he heaved himself up; then he was propped on his elbow, leaning over her and blocking the sun. “Again?” he murmured, flattening his hand on her stomach. The heat from his palm burned through her dress to her chilled skin; then he slipped his fingertips under her skirts and she felt the heat go all the way through her.

  
…

  
29\. **Cold** \- His lips were cold; hers were colder. But his tongue was warm, and the kiss was almost shy as he gently explored her mouth. His left hand tangled in her hair and he slowly deepened the kiss as he caught her waist and pulled her gently toward him.

  
…

  
30\. **Together** \- Tilly didn’t want this to end. She knew it had to, what she and Arthur had couldn’t last forever, but as long as he was beside her the world was held at bay.

**Author's Note:**

> Love it? Hate it? I understand that this pairing isn't everyone's cup of tea but Arthur and Tilly's in-game interactions are pure gold and my fingers just slipped. Tilly Jackson is a gift and Arthur Morgan deserves some sweetness in his life.


End file.
